Blog: A Congressional Tribute to Sr. Catherine Pinkerton

Jean Sammon

Jan 07, 2011

Congressman Dennis Kucinich must be glad to have former NETWORK Lobbyist Catherine Pinkerton back in his district.

NETWORK staff, and many of our members and partners in Washington, were sad to see Sr. Catherine Pinkerton retire in March of this year, and return to her community in Cleveland. I can assure you that she is not retired from working for social justice.

While visiting Catherine in Cleveland during the Christmas season, I just happened to see a leather folder embossed with the seal of the House of Representatives on her desk. It contained a copy of a speech that her Congressman, Dennis Kucinich, made in her honor in September, which is now part of the Congressional Record.

Catherine told me that Rep. Kucinich came to see her at the Congregation of St. Joseph center earlier in the year when he heard that she had returned to Cleveland. Then in September, a staff member from his office delivered the copy of the tribute and read it aloud to her and several of her sisters. (He would have liked a larger audience, but Catherine, with characteristic modesty, nixed the idea of calling all the sisters together for that.)

Catherine and I spent some time discussing the current political situation in Washington and Ohio. Those of you who know Catherine can be assured that she is adjusting to this new phase of her life, and will be working on local and national issues with her community’s justice team.